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First time homebrew question

Post your own tasty recipes or homebrewing advice here.

Moderators: Craig, Cass

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doublefist
Posts: 16
Joined: Sun Dec 08, 2002 7:00 pm

Post by doublefist »

Ok so I finally convinced my wife to let me try home-brewing. So I have a starters kit of equipment and a kit of “Canadian Style Ale”. I have read a number of articles on the process but there are some discrepancies. Some items I read have you pouring the wort into the primary fermentor and leaving it there until bottling. Other items have you pouring your wort into the primary fermentor, then after 5 days transferring it to a glass carboy, then transferring it back to the bucket for bottling.

So I have a few questions. Which of the above two methods is best? And second, if your going to leave the wort in one container until bottling, can I use the carboy as the only fermentor – mix the wort in the bucket, put the re-hydrated yeast into the carboy then pour the wort into the carboy.
"They drank of huge wooden kegs of mead, which was in fact Pabst Blue Ribbon, but which they liked to call mead..."

PRMason
Bar Fly
Posts: 873
Joined: Wed Oct 10, 2001 8:00 pm
Location: Fitzroy Harbour, ON

Post by PRMason »

Ferment your beer in the plastic bucket, and once the yeast activity slows down, transfer it into a glass carboy, being careful to leave as much of the sediment as possible on the bottom of the bucket. Insert a fermentation lock on your carboy and then be patient.I hope you have a hydrometer to check the specific gravity of your beer prior to bottling. It will save you a lot of heartache and mess.
Also, use restraint with your use of corn sugar or other things to boost potential alcohol. Too much and your beer will taste like bad apple cider. Better to use two cans of the malt extract and no sugar in the fermentation. The results are far superior. Save the sugar for priming your bottles.
Good brewing!
Perry

tipsy mcstagger
Posts: 16
Joined: Tue Jan 21, 2003 7:00 pm

Post by tipsy mcstagger »

Hey Doublefist - there's certainly be a mountainful of information for homebreweing out there, and it can be a little confusing when you first start out. My biggest advice I can give you is to work clean and sterile. All you need is a dirty/unsantized piece of hose, a bucket that hasn't been cleaned properly or even your finger dipped in the wort to have all you time and money (literally) going down the drain. There are dozens and dozens of excellent books out there for the starting homebrewer. Charlie Papazian's "The New Complete Joy of Home Brewing" is the classic text for the homebrewing novice.
And remember, quality products = quality beer.

doublefist
Posts: 16
Joined: Sun Dec 08, 2002 7:00 pm

Post by doublefist »

Thanks for the advice. I just transfered the beer off the sediment and into the glass carboy last night. I'll let it sit there for another week and then bottle it. I don't know what it will taste like but it certainly smells good. This is my first time so I'm not shooting for award winning beer - if it's drinkable I'll be happy.

tipsy mcstagger
Posts: 16
Joined: Tue Jan 21, 2003 7:00 pm

Post by tipsy mcstagger »

Keep us posted - there's nothing like taking a sip from your first batch of homebrew...the key to remember is that from here on out, the learning curve is huge, and your beers will only improve and your techniques will too. You will run into the occasional dud batch (or is it just me??), but just think of the joy that this hobby will bring you in future!

doublefist
Posts: 16
Joined: Sun Dec 08, 2002 7:00 pm

Post by doublefist »

OK, so I had my first homebrew on the weekend. It has only been in the bottles for a week but I'm impatient. Anyways, the carbonation level was good - poured with a decent head that lasted. It tasted a little thin and had a quite noticeable bitter after-taste (corn sugar?). But it is definitley drinkable (and apparently it will only get better the longer it stays in the bottle) so I am considering this a success and I am already looking forward to improving with my next batch.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: doublefist on 2003-02-03 10:20 ]</font>

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DukeofYork = Richard
Posts: 159
Joined: Sat Sep 21, 2002 8:00 pm

Post by DukeofYork = Richard »

I had my first homebrew today, so I thought I'd post a note here.

I used a simple Coopers kit, but supplanted the suggested corn sugar with dark malt extract (1 kg of malt replacing the called-for sugar). Tastes pretty damn good for something I made myself (in a sense, at least). I'd just like a little more hop presence in there. Is it possible to fool with the hop levels when using those simple kit mixes by adding my own hops at some other stage?

If not, I guess I'll just have to start doing it the hard way! Thanks for any tips.

PRMason
Bar Fly
Posts: 873
Joined: Wed Oct 10, 2001 8:00 pm
Location: Fitzroy Harbour, ON

Post by PRMason »

You can additional hops (buy the pellets, use a strainer bag), and boil them in some water or diluted malt extract for at least 30 minutes to get more bitterness. To add aroma, you might consider "dry hopping" your secondary fermenter (carboy). If you boil one ounce of hops, strain and add them to your beer prior to fermentation, you'll have a much more bitter beer. The dry hops will add hop aroma, but no appreciable bitterness. Ask what the alpha acid units are on the hops you choose, The higher the number, the more bitterness it will add, so be careful.
Good luck.
Perry

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